In the new issue of Regulation, economist Pierre Lemieux argues that the recent oil price decline is at least partly the result of increased supply from the extraction of shale oil. The increased supply allows the economy to produce more goods, which benefits some people, if not all of them. Thus, contrary to some commentary in the press, cheaper oil prices cannot harm the economy as a whole.

Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses, have given rise to a growing libertarian movement in our country – with a greater focus on individual liberty and less government power. David Boaz’s newly released The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history, philosophy, and growth of the libertarian movement, with incisive analyses of today’s most pressing issues and policies.

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Why Is Press Coverage of the Martin/Zimmerman Case So Bad?

In addition to my two earlierposts in this space on Stand Your Ground (SYG) laws, which I recommend reading in conjunction with Tim Lynch’s threerecentposts, I’ve been doing a lot of writing on SYG and other issues in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case. Here are some links:

I wrote an op-ed for the Daily Caller on how the Washington Post, on both its editorial and reporting side, has been advancing misconceptions about SYG laws, especially about the purported increase in uses of deadly force in self-defense. More on “justifiable homicide” statistics here.

At Overlawyered, I try to answer Ann Althouse’s question as to why there was such a rush in many quarters to pile on the SYG law as the supposed culprit. My answer: “because many people yearn for ways to blame their ideological opponents when something awful happens.”

I also have a post about how, while there are many to blame for sensationalized, inflammatory, and racially oriented coverage of a case like this, the lawyers tend to set the tone. And I note that with an impending civil suit by the Martin family, the former “self-appointed vigilante” is now due to reappear as “designated agent of the homeowners’ association.”

For more background on the (non-)applicability of SYG to the case, I did a nine-minute video interview with Lee Pacchia at Bloomberg Law on the subject, which aired on Monday, following my Cato Daily audio podcast. And don’t miss this Reuters analysis on how SYG plays out in actual Florida courtrooms (“winning immunity could be quite difficult… [J]udges have granted immunity just nine times since 2005.”)